triple

Etymology

From Middle English triple (also þripell), from Latin triplus. Doublet of treble.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation, General American, Canada) IPA^(key): /ˈtɹɪpəl/, [ˈtɹɪpl̩]
• (General Australian) IPA^(key): /ˈt͡ʃɹɪpəl/, [ˈt̠͡ɹ̠̊ɪpl̩]

  • Audio (US):

    (file)

• Rhymes: -ɪpəl

Adjective

triple (not comparable)

1. Made up of three related elements, often matching

   The triple markings on this vase are quite unique.

2. Of three times the quantity; treble.

   Give me a triple serving of mashed potatoes.

3. Designed for three users.

   a triple room

4. Folded in three; composed of three layers.
5. Having three aspects.

   a triple meaning

6. (music) Of time, three times as fast as very fast.
7. (obsolete) One of three; third.
   • c. 1601–1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, “Twelfe Night, or What You Will”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene i]:

     the third payes for all: the triples sir , is a good tripping measure

Noun

triple (plural triples)

1. Three times or thrice the number, amount, size, etc.
2. (informal) A drink with three portions of alcohol.

   I've had a hard day; make that a triple.

3. (US) A hamburger with three patties.

   I'd like a triple with cheese.

4. (baseball) A three-base hit: a triple play.

   The shortstop hit a triple to lead off the ninth.

5. (basketball) A three-point field goal.
6. (curling) A takeout shot in which three stones are removed from play.
7. (mathematics, computing) A sequence of three elements or 3-tuple.

Verb

triple (third-person singular simple present triples, present participle tripling, simple past and past participle tripled)

1. To multiply by three.

   The company tripled their earnings per share over last quarter.

2. (baseball) To get a three-base hit.

   The batter tripled into the gap.

3. To become three times as large.

   Our earnings have tripled in the last year.

4. To serve or operate as (something), in addition to two other functions.
   • 1982 January, Popular Mechanics, Best tools for your electronics workbench, volume 157, number 1, page 106:

     Radio Shack's All-Purpose Crimper/Cutter ($9.95) doubles as a wire stripper and triples as a bolt cutter.

   • 2011, Mel LeCompte, The Tee Cotton Bowl:

     Examination rooms contain shelves overstuffed with football helmets, autographed equipment and even rugby gear. If the office doubles as a mini-museum, it also triples as a minichapel.

See also

Anagrams

• Pirtle, Tipler, let rip, prelit, tripel

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin triplus.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Central, Balearic) [ˈtɾi.plə]
• IPA^(key): (Valencia) [ˈtɾi.ple]

Adjective

triple m or f (masculine and feminine plural triples)

1. triple

Noun

triple m (plural triples)

1. (sports) triple, treble, hat trick

Further reading

• “triple”, in Diccionari de la llengua catalana [Dictionary of the Catalan Language] (in Catalan), second edition, Institute of Catalan Studies [Catalan: Institut d'Estudis Catalans], 2007 April

Etymology

Semi-learned term resulting from a modification, under the influence of the Latin etymology, of Old French treble, itself from Latin triplus.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /tʁipl/

Adjective

triple (plural triples)

1. triple
2. (music) thirty-second note

   une triple croche ― a thirty-second note

Noun

triple m (plural triples)

1. (baseball) triple

Verb

triple

1. inflection of tripler:
   1. first/third-person singular present indicative/subjunctive
   2. second-person singular imperative

Further reading

• “triple”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈtri.ple/
• Rhymes: -iple
• Hyphenation: trì‧ple

Adjective

triple

1. feminine plural of triplo

Anagrams

• peltri, pletri

Numeral

triple

1. vocative masculine singular of triplus

Adjective

triple

1. definite singular of trippel
2. plural of trippel

Adjective

triple

1. definite singular of trippel
2. plural of trippel

Etymology

From Latin triplus.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈtɾiple/ [ˈt̪ɾi.ple]

• Audio (Colombia):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -iple
• Syllabification: tri‧ple

Adjective

triple m or f (masculine and feminine plural triples)

1. triple
2. threefold
3. three-way

   un triple empate ― a three-way tie

Noun

triple m (plural triples)

1. (quantity) triple (three times as much)
2. (basketball) three-pointer (A three-point shot; a basket made from beyond the three-point line)

Further reading

• “triple”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2024 December 10

Anagrams

• reptil, pretil